John Bingham
was born in 1763 in
AlbemarlecountyVA as the son of
Charles Bingham and Margaret Smith. At the age of 14, Bingham joined the
Virginia Line and fought in the New York Campaigns of Harlem Heights
located on
ManhattanIsland and
White plains. At the battle of
HarlemHeights, The Virginia
line showed for the first time they could fight effective against the
British.

Between
December 1776 and January 3 1777, Bingham would participate in the battles
of
Trenton and
Princeton. These two battles are
considered the two most crucial battles of the Revolution. Had they lost
here the Revolution would have been over.

Between
September 1777 and October 1777, Bingham participated in the
Pennsylvania campaigns of Brandywine and
Germantown. At
Brandywine, Bingham and his Virginia
Continentals were located in the center of the right flank on Birmingham
Hill near the Birmingham Meeting house. When the British outflanked the
Virginia Continentals, Bingham and his comrades positioned themselves
behind a stone fence. During a Hessian bayonet charge, the Virginia
Continentals were forced to retreat a half mile to a hill nicknamed Battle
Hill. Five times the British forced the Virginia Continentals off of the
hill, only to have the Virginians retake the hill each time. These
Virginians had an attitude. They refused to let the enemy take one inch of
their territory without a fight. It was this attitude of perseverance that
would lead to their victory at
Yorktown four years later. After two
hours of fighting in 90 degree heat the Virginians ran out of gunpowder
and ammunition so they were forced to withdraw from the battlefield.

In December
1777, Bingham arrived at
Valley Forge with 12000 other patriots.
While at
Valley Forge he was transferred to the
command of the Marquis De Lafayette.
Lafayette had first heard about the
Revolution going on in
America from having
dinner with the duke of
Gloucester, the brother of King
George III.
Lafayette decided to come to
America and join the
fight of
Independence.
Lafayette arrived in
America in August 1777
and fought his first battle at
Brandywine.

On January 23,
1778
Lafayette journeyed to
AlbanyNew York to plan a second
invasion Of Canada. Since Bingham was now an officer under
Lafayette command there is very good
possibility Bingham went with him to
Albany. The invasion was soon
called off due to not being able to raise a militia or gather enough
supplies for the invasion.

On May 19,
1778, Bingham would engage in a small skirmish when British General Grant
surprised
Lafayette on the outskirts of
Philadelphia near Barren Hill
during a routine reconnaissance mission.
Lafayette was able to withdraw
his artillery and troops without any loss.

On June 21,
1778, Bingham would participate in the battle of
Rhode Island. General
Sullivan of the continental army was ordered by
Washington to capture Aquidneck Island
located off the coast of
Rhode Island for a base for French ships
to use to unload badly needed supplies from
France. Bingham
would serve in an artillery division under
Lafayette at this battle. The
battle ended in a draw with the Continentals unable to capture the
Island.

On June 28,
1778, Bingham would be with
Lafayette at the battle of
MonmouthNJ. Bingham fought bravely in
the 95 degree heat and helped the Continentals capture a baggage train of
General Howe of the British army that contained badly needed supplies.

In May 1780,
Bingham would participate in the siege of
Charleston. He was one of the
5500 prisoners taken but soon paroled if he promised not to fight the
British again. The loss of
Charleston was a severe blow
to American Independence. The continentals lost four Continental Navy
ships docked in the harbor and tons of Ammunition and gunpowder.

This was the
last battle that Bingham would participate in. One source has it that
Bingham would rise to rank of Captain while another says he rose to the
rank of Colonel. After this battle Bingham moved back to
AlbemarlecountyVA where he would
marry Deborah Phipps in 1789. They would have 5 children from this
Union.

By 1795,
Bingham would move to Knox county Kentucky making them one of the first
pioneer families to move to
Southeast KY. In 1808, Bingham moved in
with his son Joshua who lived near by. In 1820 Bingham would move to
ClaiborneCounty where he would
soon die that year at the age of 57. Bingham was buried at Green family
cemetery in
CallowayKY. After Bingham’s death,
his wife Deborah would marry Samuel Rose.

During the
Civil war, Several of Bingham’s descendents fought on the Union side. At
least one was captured and sent to Libby Prison in
Richmond.

Today most of
Bingham’s descendents live in Southeast KY in the
Bell county and Knox county
Region.